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Tamara Needles
Tamara Needles (Democratic Party) is a judge of the Texas 427th District Court. Her current term ends on December 31, 2028.
Needles (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for judge of the Texas 427th District Court. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Education
Needles earned her bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University in 1992. She later received her J.D. from the Texas Tech University School of Law in 1997.[1]
Career
Needles is a private practice attorney specializing in family and criminal law.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Municipal elections in Travis County, Texas (2024)
General election
General election for Texas 427th District Court
Incumbent Tamara Needles won election in the general election for Texas 427th District Court on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Tamara Needles (D) | 100.0 | 394,198 |
| Total votes: 394,198 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas 427th District Court
Incumbent Tamara Needles advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas 427th District Court on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tamara Needles | 100.0 | 73,449 |
| Total votes: 73,449 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Needles in this election.
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Travis County, Texas (2020)
General election
General election for Texas 427th District Court
Incumbent Tamara Needles won election in the general election for Texas 427th District Court on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tamara Needles (D) | 100.0 | 426,718 |
| Total votes: 426,718 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas 427th District Court
Incumbent Tamara Needles advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas 427th District Court on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tamara Needles | 100.0 | 169,054 |
| Total votes: 169,054 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Texas held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. A primary election took place on March 1, 2016. A primary runoff election was held on May 24, 2016, for any seat where the top vote recipient did not receive a majority of the primary vote.[2] Tamara Needles defeated incumbent Jim Coronado in the Texas 427th District Court Democratic primary.[3]
| Texas 427th District Court, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Tamara Needles |
59.64% | 65,888 |
| Jim Coronado Incumbent | 40.36% | 44,586 |
| Total Votes (100) | 110,474 | |
| Source: Travis County Clerk, "Unofficial Results: Democratic Cumulative Results," accessed March 2, 2016 | ||
Selection method
- See also: Partisan election of judges
The judges of the Texas District Courts are chosen in partisan elections. They serve four-year terms, after which they must run for re-election if they wish to continue serving.[4]
Though Texas is home to more than 400 district courts, the courts are grouped into nine administrative judicial regions. Each region is overseen by a presiding judge who is appointed by the governor to a four-year term. According to the state courts website, the presiding judge may be a "regular elected or retired district judge, a former judge with at least 12 years of service as a district judge, or a retired appellate judge with judicial experience on a district court."[5]
Qualifications
To serve on the district courts, a judge must be:
- a U.S. citizen;
- a resident of Texas;
- licensed to practice law in the state;
- between the ages of 25 and 75;*[6]
- a practicing lawyer and/or state judge for at least four years; and
- a resident of his or her respective judicial district for at least two years.[4]
*While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to continue serving until their term expires.[4]
Endorsements
Needles' campaign website listed the following endorsements for the Democratic primary:[7]
- The Austin Chronicle
- Stonewall Democrats of Austin
- Circle C Area Democrats
- National Women's Political Caucus Texas
- Northeast Travis County Democrats
- Travis County Sheriffs' Law Enforcement Association
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Tamara Needles did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Tamara Needles did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Needles' campaign website listed the following themes for 2016:
| |||||||
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Needles for Judge, "About," accessed February 25, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Texas," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ Texas Courts Online, "Administrative Judicial Regions," accessed September 12, 2014
- ↑ Texas State Historical Association, "Judiciary," accessed September 12, 2014
- ↑ Needles for Judge, "Endorsements," accessed February 25, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Needles for Judge, "Issues," accessed February 25, 2016
Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas
State courts:
Texas Supreme Court • Texas Court of Appeals • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals • Texas District Courts • Texas County Courts • Texas County Courts at Law • Texas Statutory Probate Courts • Texas Justice of the Peace Courts
State resources:
Courts in Texas • Texas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Texas
